Another werewolf?
by HouseoftheBadger
Summary: The Marauders is on the Leaky Cauldron a night on the summer between 6th and 7th year. Suddenly Remus sees someone he knows and the Marauders realizes it's another lycanthrope.


There was a fairly normal day. The Marauders had summer holiday between their 6th and 7th year and were sitting at the Leaky Cauldron drinking and joking. Not that they would serve alcohol to underage wizards here, but both James and Sirius knew a lot of people that could buy for them. And that was exactly what had happened now. Tom, the bartender, didn't care so much as long they bought something and didn't disturb the other guests.  
"Do you remember Snivellius' face when Wormtail turned his hair pink?" Sirius asked with a laugh. The other three laughed too, even if Remus never had been too fond of his friends bullying Snape. But after the accident in 5th year he had stopped to care, after Snape calling Lily Evans 'mudblood'.

Remus took another sip on his firewhisky when he saw a familiar face in the crowd. It was an average man, around 40, with worn clothes and tired face. When the man looked his way Remus waved him over, His fellow Marauders eyed the man curiously and he looked at them suspiciously but nearly-smiled at Remus. Remus smiled back and presented him.  
"Hello Bastian. This is my best friends, James Potter, Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew. And my fellow Marauders, this is Bastian Jones. I met him on the hospital after… you know. He has my furry little problem."  
It had taken a while for Remus to get used of that name of his lycanthropy, but now more he used it just as much as the others. The Marauders looked interested and stared at Bastian.  
"So you're a werewolf too?" James asked quietly, cautious that no one else should hear. Bastian stared at him and then at Remus, looking absolutely disbelieving.

"They knows?" he asked surprised and Remus nodded and smiled affectionately.  
"Yeah. They found out in our second year, but instead of abandoning me they helped me in every way they could think of." He told his fellow lycanthrope. Bastian blinked and smiled a very small smile, but a smile indeed.  
"You are a very lucky person, Remus Lupin." He said. "Not only didn't your family abandon you when you got bitten," he sounded very bitter when he said this and it was clear to everyone that he hadn't had that luck. "but also you was allowed to go to Hogwarts, and now you has friends – powerful friends I also must say, a Potter and a Black even if he's disowned – which stays with you even when they knows that you're a 'monster'."

James, Sirius and Peter glared daggers at him and James put a protective hand on Remus' shoulder.  
"Moony isn't a monster. He's the most loyal, kind and good _human_ I've ever met." Peter defended him. James and Sirius nodded, agreeing, but then Sirius' face lightened up by a mischievous smirk.  
"Even if he's a boring bookworm sometimes." He said with a glimpse in his eyes. Remus smacked his back head and smiled when Sirius swore.  
"Thank you, Wormtail." Remus said warmly to his friend. "And Padfoot, watch your words. You know I'll get back on you later."  
Sirius paled for a second before laughing it off. Remus could take awful revenges, but he would take care of that when it happened and not earlier.

James looked at Remus and Bastian with a thoughtful expression on his face.  
"What is it with you people with furry problems and calling yourselves Monsters? You only transforms once a month, 12 nights a year. The other 353 nights, and the 365 days, you are perfectly normal except that you likes pieces of fruits in your marmalade. I guess it is a lycanthropy-thing, at least, because Moony is the only one I know who does that and it's weird, so that's the only way I can explain it."  
Remus had to laugh at James' logic. His friends really is wonderful. Bastian on the other hand just looked strangely at James.

"What is it with these weird nicknames?" he asked Remus who couldn't help but smile widely. They were a constant reminder of that his friends cared so much about him that they risked Azkaban by being illegal animagus at the age of 15. He had been terrified when he got to know, but it helped him so much. Many times his only injuries from his transformations was from the transformation itself, and not the time he spent as the Wolf now. But of course, he couldn't tell that.

His friends knew that of course and instead of telling that James jumped onto the table. Sirius did so in the exact same moment too.  
"We're the Marauders." James told Bastian, and the whole room. Snickering Remus and Peter came on their feet and climbed up after him. Here it came. Remus grinned.  
"Messrs. Moony," he began.  
"Wormtail,"  
"Padfoot,"  
"and Prongs."  
" _Magical Mischief-makers_. At your service." They said together and bowed. Most of the people in the room just stared at them, thinking they were drunk – which they were a little, but this presentation was just normal for them – but some applauded and got big grins in return. Suddenly James noticed someone.

"Hello Professor Minnie!" he shouted over the room, to Professor McGonagall who was there. "And Hagrid too!"  
The Transfiguration-teacher gave them a stern gaze, but they wasn't in school so she couldn't really give them detention for calling her Minnie, but the half-giant smiled and walked over to them.  
"Hello boys." He said cheerfully. "Who's your friend?"  
"Hello, Hagrid." Remus answered. "This is Bastian. Just an old friend to me."  
Hagrid eyes Bastian and a light shone in his eyes.  
"A lycanthrope?" he asked Remus who stared at him, surprised.  
"You can tell that by looking at him? You're good."

Hagrid laughed and ruffled Remus' hair before giving him an one-armed hug.  
"I've known you since you were eleven, Remus. The Full Moon is in two days. I've learnt to know the signs."  
Bastian shook his head and glanced at Remus' friends, including Hagrid. He looked a little shocked that so many touched and joked with Remus without problem, and so easily talked about lycanthropy without disgust, but he was happy for Remus even if he still was suspicious.  
"Is there anyone who _not_ knows about you being a werewolf?" he asked quietly. Remus nodded.  
"Of course. They aren't that many who knows, actually. Those who knows is James, Sirius and Peter and then there is Hagrid – he's the groundkeeper at Hogwarts, Professor Dumbledore, the Head of the Houses and Madame Pomfrey, our school matron. And James' parents, sorry, James and Sirius' parents, since Mrs Potter is my primary healer. And then my parents and my closest relatives at my dad's side. My mum's side is muggles, so we can't really tell them."  
"I said it before; you're very lucky indeed, Remus Lupin." Bastian said. Remus nodded agreeing.  
"I know. I doesn't go a day without me thinking about it. I still can't understand I had so much luck."

James looked at his watch and winced. He looked at his friends in panic.  
"The clock is half past 11! We should've been home an hour ago! Mum's going to kill us! No, not Sirius, because she adores you, and not Remus, because you looks so weak and the Full Moon is soon, and then she can't kill Peter because that would be unfair, but she's going to kill _me_ and that's all that matters! We have to go! Bye Bastian, it was nice to meet you. Go go go!" he nearly shouted at his friends who laughed and obeyed.  
Before they ran to the Floo-chimneys they all said good bye to Bastian and Hagrid.

"Good luck, Bastian." Remus wished him. "And see you in school, Hagrid."  
Hagrid laughed his rumbling laughter and agreed.  
"So we do, Remus. Have a nice summer. And if you want to come to the Shack during the Moon, just send a letter."  
Remus smiled.  
"I know, but it isn't necessary. We have everything we need to keep the Wolf at bay."

"Come on, Moony!" James shouted and Remus shot them a last smile before running to his friends. One after one they threw Floo powder in the chimney and shouted "Potter Mansion!" and disappeared in green fire. When only Remus and Sirius were there and Remus just should step into the chimney Bastian shouted:  
"I _am_ happy for you, Remus. Say hi to your parents from me."  
Remus smiled again and promised. Then he shouted "Potter Mansion!" and disappeared.

Back at the mansion Mr and Mrs Potter stood there, shouting at their son for worrying them and that they just were on their way to send the Aurors after them when Remus stepped out.  
He walked to them and gave them his best puppy-dog-eyes, which he was very good at.  
"Please, sir, ma'am, don't be angry at Prongs. It's my fault, I met another werewolf I knew and we began to chat. It was my fault we is so late."  
Mrs Potter smiled at him.  
"Okay, Remus. We won't ground you or take your brooms." Both James and Sirius sighed in relief. If their brooms was taken they would die, they though. "But instead you have to de-gnome the garden."  
James, Sirius and Peter groaned and didn't look happy.  
"But mum!" Both James and Sirius said. "Why can't you have the House elves doing that?"  
Mr Potter shot them a stern gaze that shut them up.

"If you want we can take your brooms instead." He warned and they exchanged scared gazes.  
"No thank you." James quickly said.  
"De-gnoming the garden it is then, dad." Sirius added, trying to sound docile. Mr and Mrs Potter laughed at his try, there was nothing docile with Sirius Black, and everyone knew it.  
"Up with you now, you're going to go to bed right now." Mr Potter added and the Marauders nodded.

When they hurried upstairs James looked impressed.  
"How did you do that? Not even Sirius is that good at escape punishment."  
Remus laughed.  
"Haven't you seen me at school? There's a reason that I are the Marauder with the lowest amount of detentions, and it isn't because I don't break the rules. I simply are talented in making people not want to punish me."  
The others couldn't help but agree and laugh with him.

The next full moon James, Sirius and Peter couldn't help but think at the werewolves who had been abandoned by everyone just because they was bitten. They couldn't imagine how that should be, and was so happy that that hadn't happened to Remus.  
But then Remus transformed into Moony and they hadn't time to think about that anymore. James became Prongs, Sirius became Padfoot and Peter became Wormtail. Wormtail climbed up on Prongs' back and they turned to the werewolf.

 _Shall we go then?_ Prongs asked and Moony shook himself eagerly. When Padfoot barked and jumped around him happily he couldn't help but feel happy. He was with his pack and he was free to run with them under the Full moon. Life couldn't be better.  
 _Yes._ He answered and they ran.


End file.
